Soft drinks can be one of the greatest carries
of environmental toxins. Most require additives
and preservatives, which consist of chemical substances.
Unfortunately, these substances can actually be
harmful to our bodies.

Many times, soft drinks contain toxic levels
of sugar. To help combat this, artificial sweeteners
are often substituted to lower the number of calories.
While beverage manufacturers claim these foods
have fewer calories, they can still lead to increased
body weight through toxic build up.

FDA regulations require that the flavoring used
in any processed food, including soft drinks,
be an extract of an actual product, but many times
these agents are actually synthetic compositions.
This significantly raises the level of toxins
in these products, making them even more harmful.

One such flavoring agent used by soft drink manufacturers
is caffeine. Caffeine is not only addictive, but
consuming it can lead to higher levels of anxiety,
irritability, and depression, trouble concentrating
and hyperactive behavior.

In diet soft drinks, the artificial sweetener,
aspartame, is used as a substitute for sugar.
Although aspartame contains no calories, it raises
several health concerns, including the link between
aspartame and cancer.

Another chemical substance found in many soft
drinks is benzene. Benzene is a carcinogen that
can cause cancer in humans. It is often times
released into the air from emissions from automobiles
and burning coal and oil. Exposure to heat and
light can lead to the formation of benzene in
beverages that contain benzoate salts and ascorbic
acid (vitamin C).

While it’s often very difficult to completely
eliminate soft drinks from our diets, it is important
to limit our consumption as much as possible.
This will help prevent unnecessary exposure to
several harmful chemical toxins.